It's the End of Social Media for Authors

And I feel fine

Hi friend,

Here is a (not so) blind item for you. I’m removing the identifying details from this story because I’m sure the author in question is annoyed by the whole thing. I would be.

So let’s say there’s this bestselling, beloved author called Cali Brazlehood. Lots of authors are popular with readers. Lots of authors are popular with other authors. There’s only a handful of bestselling authors who are loved by BOTH readers and authors.

Cali is known as “the nicest person in publishing.” Now I don’t know Cali personally, but people I know say that and I trust their judgment. I’ve heard many stories about Cali going out of her way to help and promote fellow authors and all the ways she has supported readers.

WOW. Sounds like a great person.

But then. Cali showed her true colors. At an in-person event, Cali made a comment that she liked Gale and that she did not like Peeta.

Can you believe it?

Oh. You don’t KNOW Gale and Peeta? The two “love interests” in a 2008 novel called The Hunger Games?

Yeah. That book.

Well. People had some BIG MAD feelings about an author expressing a preference for a FICTIONAL character in a book published (*does math*) a whole high school senior’s life ago.

A horde of terminally online Peeta fans went onto Cali’s instagram and left many many comments attacking her for this terribly shocking* and inappropriate* opinion about a fiction novel. Cali, revealing the evil and terrible person* that she clearly is, tried telling people that it was a joke, a throwaway comment about a PRETEND PERSON.

(*Please note the very thick sarcasm.)

(***Please.)

But ultimately it became too much and Cali closed down her instagram account.

That’s right. A universally beloved and popular author was bullied off social media because of a joke comment she made about a fictional character.

*DEEP SIGH*
*ONE MORE FOR GOOD MEASURE*

Now why am I writing about this? Cali is going to be FINE. She’s said she’s fine and I believe her.

I’m writing about this because I truly believe this incident is a tipping point for many authors, including myself.

For years, authors were told to be on social media. To get to know readers. To showcase their fancy author lives (still sarcasm), their families, their books. I distinctly remember going to multiple professional workshops where I was instructed to be authentic! To post photos my knitting if I was a knitter (I’m not). To show my love for baseball if I wrote sports romance (I don’t.)

But being awesome on social media doesn’t come naturally to most of us writers who really just want to spend all day with imaginary people. And being on social media 24/7/365 is hard for those of us who have lives, families, write books and knit. Oh! And watch baseball.

So many authors have been looking for an out from the burden of social media, especially when no one really thinks that social media posts about knitting or baseball sells books. Hell, social media posts about books don’t always sell books.

while we’re talking about social media selling books….

The fact that Cali Brazlehood is SO popular in the writing community really made a lot of authors stop and take stock of this event. If people will attack Cali Brazlehood for an offhand off-line comment about a character in a 2008 book, what will the rest of us be attacked for?

It’s giving authors a very good excuse to slowly back away from unnecessary and unproductive internet usage. And why not? The best way for an author to show love to their readers isn’t liking and responding to comments about their knitting projects. IN MY OPINION ONLY, the best way for an author to show love is to WRITE MORE BOOKS.

So let me go do that right now.

And if you’re looking for some summer reads to get your mind off stupid stupid social media, here are my best recommendations right now:

Atmosphere - Taylor Jenkins Reid Amazon || Bookshop.org

Problematic Summer Romance - Ali Hazelwood Amazon || Bookshop.org

Can’t Get Enough - Kennedy Ryan Amazon || Bookshop.org

Bride - Ali Hazelwood Amazon || Bookshop.org

A Magic Deep and Drowning - Hester Fox Amazon || Bookshop.org

The Love Hypothesis - Ali Hazelwood Amazon || Bookshop.org